Silence
by Mrs O-Town
Summary: ‘She was breaking her best friend’s heart and she hated every second of it.’ Peyton POV after 3x21. Oneshot.


**Title: **Silence

**Author: **Tejal (mrsotown)

**Rating: **PG

**Summary: **'She was breaking her best friend's heart and she hated every second of it.' Peyton POV after 3x21. One-shot.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. If I did – this would never have happened.

**Author's Notes: **I have no idea why I wrote this. I just wanted some perspective on Peyton's sudden feelings for Lucas because I have no idea where they came from either.

**Silence**

"I think I still have feelings for Lucas."

"You mean… you care for him as a friend?"

"No. I mean more than that."

Peyton knew that that instant she spoke those words; she would almost certainly have ruined their friendship of twelve years with one fell swoop.

Again.

It had taken everything inside the seventeen year old girl to try and hide from her feelings. To make them go away. To make it anyone _but_ Lucas. Anyone except her best friend's boyfriend.

After last year, when she had betrayed Brooke the first time, Peyton had sworn to herself that she would do everything in her power to never hurt her that way again. She had seen a side of Brooke that had only ever been directed at worst enemies. Throughout their friendship, she had seen various 'queen bitches' be at the focus of Brooke's rage and suffer the snide remarks that flew from her mouth.

But those had never been directed at her. Never.

How could Peyton be in love with Lucas? That boat had sailed a long time ago when she decided that Brooke's friendship was worth much more than any relationship she could have had with Lucas.

She'd chosen her best friend over him and now she was right back where she was last year.

Hurting her best friend and not being able to do anything about it.

The last few days had been a blur for the blonde. She'd been infatuated with Pete from Fall Out Boy, proposed to Jake, and now she had all these feelings for Lucas? It was more than obvious to the girl that there were millions of thoughts running through her head but the most comprehensible of those were her feelings for Lucas.

Feelings she thought she'd buried months ago. Feelings she didn't really want to have.

Peyton had been more than ready to spend her life with Jake and Jenny in Savannah. She had found a calm and serenity there that she had been searching for since before the school shooting. Since Ellie had come back into her life and turned everything upside down.

She had eventually given Ellie a chance which ultimately paid off and let her live life and take risks, and it had worked. She had enjoyed taking those risks with Pete and with Jake. But taking a risk with Lucas and hurting her best friend again? That was something that she had to stop and think about.

But what was it that her father had told her? She had to follow her heart. They had led her to Jake and one of the most intense and perfect weekends of her life that were quickly ruined because she talked in her sleep. Her heart had taken her to Jake, who told her that she would have to follow her heart again to Lucas.

Peyton would have given everything to get rid of those feelings. She had seen Brooke's heart break once and then again when Lucas rejected her after the Chris incident. But after the pair had sorted everything out, she'd never seen either of them so happy.

She was well aware that Brooke was head over heels in love with Lucas, and from what she'd witnessed between the two in recent weeks, she knew that he was head over heels in love with her too.

Her mind drifted to the week after the school shooting when she and Lucas discussed their oh-so-embarrassing kiss in the library. He told her he loved her but he was _insanely_ in love with Brooke and Peyton had been okay with that. Brooke deserved it. She knew Lucas cared about her but it would never be with the intensity that he cared for Brooke.

After all, he had fought for Brooke – not Peyton.

She had been left on the sidelines cheering the two on because she knew that they deserved nothing less. That Brooke deserved the love Lucas had to give to her and that Brooke's heart had finally mended after everything from last year.

But here Peyton was, telling Brooke something that she knew she had been afraid to hear. She wasn't even sure why she told Brooke. Peyton figured it was because she knew that she didn't want to sneak around anymore.

Honesty was the best policy… but not when it broke hearts.

Brooke just stared at the girl. Peyton had seen that look before after the whole webcam-catching-them-cheating incident. The look had been laced with hate, betrayal and disbelief.

This time, though, Peyton saw heartbreak.

She was breaking her best friend's heart and she hated every second of it.

She wanted Brooke to say something. She wanted Brooke to scream at her and slap her. To tell her what a horrible friend she was and how she never wanted to see her again. She wanted Brooke to hug her and say that it was okay and that she'd help get rid of these feelings because she knew her heart really belonged to Jake.

But none of it came. There was no hug and reassurance that it was a passing phase. That Peyton and Jake were supposed to be together. There was no screaming or violence.

There was just silence.

And for Peyton, Brooke's silence hurt more than any words could.

**The End.**


End file.
